Cirsion 2017

The 2017 Cirsion has been produced since 1998 from specific plants that seem to have a different ripening profile, initially only Tempranillo, but since 2011, around 10% Graciano has been added (11% in 2017). It's very dark and opaque, almost black and has a smoky nose with plenty of toast, wet graphite and earth aromas, ripe and heady with black fruit and dark spices. It's ripe and round but less complex than other vintages, a little lighter and at this moment still marked by the élevage. It matured in 100% new oak for eight months. 9,000 bottles were filled in March 2019.. - Luis Gutiérrez. 

This is a very overt but amazingly balanced Cirsion that shows pure blackcurrant and dark-cherry compote. Licorice, oyster shell, tar and mulberries follow. Full-bodied with so much blackberry fruit, but a bedrock of sophisticated, steely tannins. The soft fruit just keeps giving. A bold but expertly delivered wine. Drink in 2026.

Agustín Santolaya thinks this is the best Cirsion he's made and I am inclined to agree with him. Yields were smaller because of the April frost, but this old vine cuvée of Tempranillo and 11% Graciano is not over concentrated in the least. Focused, balanced, nuanced, intense and refreshing, it's floral, layered and very polished, with fine oak, raspberry and black cherry fruit and haunting palate length. 2025-35.

In Rioja – as in other regions – 2017 is known as ‘the year of the frost’, with some vineyards losing up to 80% of their crop. It was also a hot, ‘Mediterranean’ year in which the acidity of the Graciano (11% of the Cirsion blend) brings much-needed freshness and vivacity. Intense, dark cassis and blueberry fruit, but with a floral lift on the nose. Elegant, delightful and eminently ageworthy.